The Certification Commission is the highest authority within the Scheme.
Its competencies include, but are not limited to, granting, or removing of status to Institutions Candidate or Member of the Scheme.
Certification Office
The Certification Commission is supported by the Certification Office. It acts as the corporate office to the Commission and enacts its decisions. Its activities include:
Administration of the Scheme, notably the relations with the Candidate Institutions when applying to the Scheme, the formal check of documents submitted by Candidate and Member Institutions, and the register of Member Institutions.
The organization of the assessment visit, including the training and preparation of peer-review team members.
The organization of the Commission Meetings, and the notification of the decisions taken by the Commission.
The Certification Office is composed of EHL staff members experts in higher education policy, quality assurance, certification, and accreditation.
Members of the Certification Commission
Anne-France-BORGEAUD-PIERAZZI
Head of Public Affairs at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Anne-France's key role is to maintain and strengthen institutional relations with external stakeholders: public authorities, academic partners, international accreditation bodies, think tanks and Swiss media. She also leads IMD’s accreditations and labels agenda (AACSB, EFMD EQUIS, AMBA, Swiss Accreditation/AAQ, BSIS label and the EcoVadis label).
Previously, she was Senior Economist and Head of Operations at the IMD World Competitiveness Center (2012-2015), a research center specialized in competitiveness and macroeconomic topics.
She was educated at the Faculty of Law and the Graduate Institute in Geneva, then at IMD and more recently at the Swiss Board School. She holds a Master of International Relations & Economics from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (1996).
Dr. Juan Francisco PERELLON
Chairman of the Certification Commission & EHL Group Chief Academic Officer
Born in Barcelona, Spain, Dr. Juan F. Perellon holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Political Science from the University of Lausanne, and a PhD from the Institute of Education, University of London. His expertise lies in higher education policy, specializing in all aspects of Higher Education and Research, as well as the development of quality assurance and accreditation systems. Following his PhD, Dr. Perellon served as the head of the Higher Education Department at the Lausanne Federal Institute of Technology.
In 2005, Dr. Perellon joined the State of Vaud's Board of Higher Education as a policy advisor to the Minister of Education. He played a crucial role in developing an evidence-based approach to higher education, leading to the formulation of new State legislation. In 2008, he became the Director of University Affairs, overseeing strategic plans for the University of Lausanne and the Teacher Training University of Lausanne. In 2012, Dr. Perellon was appointed Deputy Director General of the Board of Higher Education for the Canton de Vaud.
Dr. Perellon joined EHL in March 2013 as the Quality and Accreditation Director, playing a key role in the re-accreditation of EHL by NECHE and the renegotiation of the Association Agreement with the HES-SO. He was promoted to Executive Director Accreditation and Risk Management in 2017 and subsequently appointed Chief Risk & Compliance Officer in January 2018, joining the Holding's Executive Committee.
Dr. Perellon is the Chief Academic Officer of EHL Group since December 1, 2019. He formulates the transversal strategy for practical and academic training in Switzerland and abroad, overseeing the academic quality and accreditation of EHL Group schools and study programs to continuously improve and promote the EHL brand.
Jérôme BÜHLMANN
Head of Vocational Education & Schools, hotelleriesuisse Swiss Hotel Associatio)
Jérôme Bühlmann believes that interaction with people and professional knowledge are key to success in the hospitality industry. This motivated him to join HotellerieSuisse in 2017, where he is now responsible for Vocational Education products and Vocational Schools.
“The importance of a solid education system is critical to the development of young talents, locally and internationally, and to the success, reputation and innovation capacity of the hospitality industry worldwide”.
Jérôme gained his vision and passion for the hotel industry while working in various People Management roles with FRHI Hotels & Resorts (Fairmont, Raffles & Swissôtel, now part of Accor Hotels). He spent ten years with the company, handling campus recruitment, people development, and overseeing hotel openings in multiple countries.
After six years in Zurich, Jérôme became the Director of Talent Management for FRHI in Toronto.
He holds a Bachelor's in International Hospitality Management from EHL (2005) and a Master's in International HR Management from Cranfield University (2014).
Meetings of the Certification Commission
The Commission meets four times a year to decide on the status of candidates who completed the whole application process.
Here are the dates for the Commission Meetings for 2023: • March 24 • July 7 • October 20 • December 1
